


After The Goldrush

by Lira_Chimera



Category: Supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21587158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lira_Chimera/pseuds/Lira_Chimera
Summary: Sam and Dean face a new adventure. Cas comes along.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	After The Goldrush

**Author's Note:**

> Posting this before I lose my courage.

In perfect unison they raised their guns, pulled the triggers and sent those two, special, so costly, bullets hurtling on their mission. The last thing they saw, as Chuck raised his hand and snapped his fingers, was his look of surprise when, even as they melted into smoke, the bullets were unaffected and struck him, head and heart.

Then, after an immeasurable moment of nothing, they were standing quite whole on green grass under a blue sky, bathed in gentle sunshine and caressed by a gentle breeze. There were some lovely, big trees around them, leaves rustling when the wind went through them, and a faint sound of distant people talking, then a burst of laughter that made them look at each other in surprise.

Dean’s face was no longer covered in blood, his clothes weren’t just clean but as new as the day they’d been made, better even than that. From his expression of disbelief Sam knew, even as he felt it himself, that he was no longer in that wretched white suit, and, from the complete lack of pain, that he was whole again, too. He looked down at himself, saw jeans and a vaguely familiar purple t-shirt, and his favorite pair of boots which had worn out something like fifteen years ago. He frowned but then, 

“What the hell?” Dean growled, grabbing him and patting him down, searching for wounds.

“Dean, Dean, I’m ok. I don’t know how or why, but I’m ok.” Sam put his arms around his brother and, after a brief hesitation, Dean didn’t just submit to the hug but gripped him so hard it was hard to breathe. Dean sobbed, once, and Sam felt hot tears running down his own face.

“Man, I thought we were dead,” Dean managed to say, then coughed and cleared his throat.

“Me, too. I mean, I was going to be dead anyway and then-“

“Chuck snapped his fingers...”

They released each other and stepped apart, though Dean kept one hand on Sam’s shoulder as though he was afraid to let go completely. Sam didn’t mind. His brother’s hold was steadying, reassuring, and even though for some reason he felt no fear or anxiety, it was still a comfort. He dried his face on his sleeve as an inexplicable joy welled up in him threatening to make more tears spill. With an effort he pushed them back. 

“Where are we?” Dean was asking.

“No idea. It’s pretty, though,” Sam said, hoping that the lack of bombed out buildings, smoke, flames or dead bodies was a good sign. 

“Heaven?” Dean speculated, warily.

“Chuck broke it all into bits. And Hell, too.” Sam waited to feel the overwhelming grief and fury he remembered from his last moments, but they were only a memory and had no power over him.

“Then, where the hell are we?” Dean demanded.

“Safe.”

The familiar, so loved and long silent voice made them whirl around.

Cas stood before them, looking very young, clad in blue jeans and a black T-shirt, feet bare in the grass, arms open wide to them, and a smile on his beautiful face unlike any they’d seen before.

“You’re safe for now and forever. We all are.”

Sam stood back as Cas and Dean hugged, then Cas let go with one arm and beckoned him in. Feeling a little bashful, Sam complied, and laughed even as tears rolled down again.

“Damn it,” Dean muttered, laughing a little at himself as he wiped at his face again with one hand and then burrowed his face back against Cas’s shoulder.

Cas held them hard for a minute more, released them, and then, looking first Dean and then Sam deep in the eyes, said,

“We’re done. We’re safe. This-“ and he waved at the world around them- “Is what you were really fighting for all along. None of us knew anything more than you did, we all thought where we were was the real thing but it wasn’t. It was just-“

“A shadow,” Sam murmured.

Dean stared at Sam.

“Like in Narnia?” Dean asked. “Further in and further up?”

“Dean, you never read those books!”

“Did so. I wasn’t going to let you have all the fun. Didn’t like the religious shit in them but I liked the rest of it just fine.”

Cas chuckled, and Sam outright guffawed.

“What?” Dean growled, then laughed, too- and buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

It didn’t feel strange at all to hold Dean between them, to wait while his brother wept, to let his own tears flow unchecked and disregarded. Cas’s face was wet, too, but, when their eyes met over Dean’s bowed head, Sam couldn’t help smiling because the angel had been so missed and to be back with him again was beyond relief. That provoked a fresh flood of tears and suddenly he was the one being comforted.

After an uncertain length of time the tears slowed and stopped. Dean, his face still pressed into Sam‘s shoulder, said, with a hint of irritation,

“Is it all crying all the time here or what?”

Cas laughed and it was like a peal of great silver bells.

For a split second Sam saw the real Castiel, the energetic being as large as the Sears Tower, so bright and rich and warm that the sun seemed nothing more than a distant candle flame. He spoke and Sam heard both the human voice and the voice that belonged to Cas’s real self but it didn’t hurt a bit.

“Tears here are not from pain but from relief,” Cas said. “They will ease as you become used to the lack of danger. Now, you should come with me.”

Sam felt a sudden prickly, hot upwelling of eager anticipation closely followed by a creeping anxiety. Cas turned to him immediately and said gently, “No need for that, Sam. I meant it when I said you’re safe here. All is forgiven.” 

“But-“

“Everything, Sam. No exceptions, Dean.”

Cas’s voice had never been so kind or reassuring. The truth of what he said washed over and through them and for a minute they could only stand and endure while the impact of this truth rearranged everything they had ever accepted and labored under during their lives.

“Now, come with me. There are a few people waiting for you,” Cas said, “And they’re getting impatient.”

“Who’s waiting for us?” Dean asked, hope and suspicion warring in his face.

“Everyone?” Sam guessed, and Cas smiled so happily that they both knew Sam was right.

The wind rose then and brought the sounds of cheerful conversation and the scents of good food.

“Come on,” Cas said. “It’s time to rest.”

**Author's Note:**

> Critique and corrections gladly accepted. Thank you for reading.


End file.
